Take 2: Hypocrisy fills air with Bieber-Hawks logo situation

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(Lynne Sladky)

Singer Justin Bieber watches players during the first half of Game 7 in their NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals playoff series between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers, Monday, June 3, 2013 in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Before Justin Bieber stepped on to the stage at the United Center, he stepped somewhere else: right on top of the Blackhawks logo. Sports editor Jon Styf and columnist Tom Musick discuss:

Musick: Jon, I have two questions. First, how was the Justin Bieber concert? Second, what did you think of the Biebs’ decision to stand on top of the Blackhawks logo in the locker room? It’s a major no-no.

Styf: I will never say never, but I’d never go to a Bieber concert. I’m more of a closet fan of his work. That way, I can blame it on my daughters when my wife comes home and he’s on. He’s incredibly talented, but he’s turned into an idiot. From the snakeskin hat he was wearing at the Heat game to his appearance in the Hawks lockerroom to the mop-bucket urinating incident, he’s gone downhill. He’s no longer wholesome, he’s headed toward being Lindsay Lohan. And yeah, a kid from Canada should know not to step on the logo. And the Blackhawks execs, the ones standing around grinning like schoolgirls in the logo-standing photo, should never have released their “moved off quickly once immediately reminded” statement about it. They are clearly standing there, giggling, while he does it. Why lie later on about it in an attempt to save face? I mean, there’s a photo of the opposite happening that spurred the statement.

Musick: The Hawks’ response made me chuckle. One month, they’re winning the Stanley Cup. The next month, they’re releasing statements about Justin Bieber. What I find amusing about the whole thing is the hypocrisy of the situation. As reporters, we’re led to believe that someone will chop our fingers off if we step on the Hawks logo. It’s sacred ground. Players will scream at you if your soles brush a feather. Team officials will rush to the scene and go over the rules. But it’s OK for a puny teenage kid to walk right in and park on top of it?

Styf: As long as he signs something and smiles with their kids and nieces, it’s OK. In the Hawks players’ defense, some did speak out. None seemed happy. I honestly don’t care where you, or he, steps. But they seem to think it’s a big deal, until he struts in with his black tank top and board shorts. The whole ordeal would have been 10 times better if the Hawks would have had Keyshawn Johnson hiding in a corner of the lockerroom, waiting for Bieber to come out, then go after him full speed. I’m pretty certain, at this point, that Keyshawn would have flown to Chicago for that opportunity. I tried that joke on Twitter. Crickets.

Musick: Let’s hope those crickets don’t stand on the logo, too. The whole “sacred ground” thing is kind of weird to me. The Bears have a giant logo in the middle of their locker room at Halas Hall. You are free to step on it. Same goes for the Bulls. The best off-limits comparison I can come up with is the fancy leather chairs in the White Sox locker room. Jeff Keppinger sits in one and plays video games in the corner. Seriously.